carpe noctem
by laramaximoff
Summary: After not hearing from her friend in a week, Mads and her brother venture into Raccoon City to investigate what happened. Just because they were told to steer clear, it didn't mean that they weren't going to try to help Ellie or the rest of the city. However, no one expected that an outbreak caused by Umbrella would change the rest of their lives.
1. prologue (ellie i)

**A/N: **Dedicated to my friend, who loves _Resident Evil_ just as much as I do! This really is for her. Thank you for being my friend after all this time.

_carpe noctem_; to seize the night.

* * *

**PROLOGUE **(ELLIE I)

* * *

The semester started out normal enough. Like any other term, it started out relatively easy before slamming down the coursework. That usually happens for any college student but this time, it was a different type of difficulty. _Completely_ different.

Raccoon University was a decent school in a decent city. However, that all changed when the people of the city started to change in a nonconforming way. Each passing day, people became more...zombie-like, for lack of better wording. Ellie wasn't sure what started it, but everyone was being affected _quickly_ and the fact that the Raccoon Police Department was informing citizens to go them for shelter...well, that was not good. Raccoon City was dealing with an outbreak; a terrible one at that.

The young college student knew that staying locked up in her apartment would not keep her safe forever. Sure, her roommate—who was also her best friend—made sure they had plenty of water and snacks (specifically, snacks that Ellie could consume and _not_ get sick. She was a great friend for taking her gluten-free diet seriously.), but that would be gone soon. Besides, more and more students were being affected. She had to get out now or it would be too late.

So, Ellie grabbed her backpack, placing valuable items such as gluten free food and a picture of her with her boyfriend (it was one of the only photos where she didn't feel self-conscious about her looks), and took off to the Racoon Police Department. The young college student found that exiting her apartment building was easy enough but going through the city was going to be a challenge, especially since she had no car. She did not have her license yet, and her roommate took her car a few days ago to visit family. She had offered for Ellie to join her, but Ellie declined. As much as she wanted to go, she had some big projects she needed to work on.

Ellie sighed, reflecting back to that. Her assignments were trivial now. She wished she would have gone with her friend. It would have been nice to leave campus for the weekend. Now, she was stuck in a rather terrifying scenario. It was obvious by now that Racoon City has been affected by some sort of outbreak. Why? Ellie had no clue. Hopefully, the RPD could provide some answers. Hopefully.

Ellie found herself walking off campus, passing one of the bus stops and down to the metro nearby. Ellie wasn't a huge fan of the metro, but she did not have too many options or ideas. Who knows, maybe there weren't too many zombies in the metro? She could only hope that was the case.

When Ellie had made her way down, the metro station was deserted. This did not surprise the young woman, but she could not help the anxiety that began to rise. There was blood streaked along the floor and the walls. The bright fluorescent lights flickered, never ceasing. It added to the horror-like mood of the situation.

"Gross," Ellie muttered to herself as she took note of the blood streaks on the limestone walls. She wasn't a big fan of blood; it made her feel ill seeing it. However, she mustered up her courage and trekked down to where she needed to hop on the next train to the RPD.

Ellie found herself waiting at one of the entrances, looking up to see when the next train would stop. _5 minutes_, the sign indicated. Looking around, the young woman found that she was hoping it would arrive sooner than that. The longer she stood in the flickering lit, trashed area, the further her anxiety built up.

"I should have went with Mads," Ellie couldn't help but mutter to herself. If she had gone with her friend, she would have been out of Raccoon City and not have to deal with this outbreak. Then again, maybe no—

A groan made Ellie halt her thoughts, as she looked over her shoulder and saw someone slowly trekked their way over to her. Ellie almost yelped as she recognized who—or rather, _what_ this person was: a victim of the epidemic. A zombie.

As the zombie gained momentum, Ellie could feel alarm flash throughout her body and as a result, ran the opposite direction. She wasn't going to get infected today or any other day.

Ellie was lucky to be on this platform. As soon as she covered about halfway through the platform, she ran into someone. She bounced back, alarmed as she realized it was an infected citizen. It was a woman, taller than her with tattered clothes and ashen skin. The woman dived in after Ellie, who was scampering backwards in order to _not _get infected.

The woman abruptly reached down to grab Ellie's flannel shirt. Terrified, Ellie was quick to grab this woman, making her lose her balance and was able to throw her onto the tracks...just as the train was coming to a stop. Ellie had the pleasure watching the infected woman be obliterated, which caused both relief and terror. As soon as the train came to a full stop, Ellie launched herself into the car. She did it just in time, too, because now it appeared that more infected citizens started to fill the platform.

"Please don't get on, please don't get on…" Ellie found herself begging, as she clung to the pole to keep herself grounded. Her prayers were answered, because as one zombie tried to hop on, they were smashed by the door; completely obliterated. Blood sprayed onto Ellie, who tried her best to _not _think or feel. The smell alone made herself want to vomit, but she fought against it. If she _had _to get sick, she would prefer to do it at the safe zone.

As the train started moving, Ellie glanced up to look at the routes displayed. She noted that her designated area would be the fifth stop from now.

Sighing to herself, the young woman sat down in the nearest seat. She opted to sit in the inner section away from the doors. She didn't want to become someone's next meal, after all. Ellie took this opportunity to do a breathing exercise, attempting to calm herself down. She had not noticed just how fast her heart was beating until now.

"It's okay...you're okay…" Ellie told herself. "They can't get to you now. Just get to the station, they'll help you...they'll help you…"

A loud _SMACK! _against the glass startled Ellie out of her thoughts. She jumped back from the seat, startled as she watched zombies hit the glass, wanting to get to her. She hadn't realized she was at the next stop already.

"Fuck! Don't get on!" Ellie yelped. Unfortunately, Ellie's wish was not granted. To her horror, a few zombies were successful in boarding the train.

"Oh, God damn it," Ellie swore. She glanced around, trying to find some sort of exit. Luckily for her, the zombies were only blocking one side, the other...she could make it to the next train car if she was quick enough.

Wasting no time, the young college student made way to the end of the car. She reached the door and in haste, unlocked it. Ellie deemed herself lucky this time, because the latch was easy to open. Thank fuck. After Ellie went through, she slammed the door behind her before jumping to the next car, successfully unlocking that door as well.

Ellie was now inside the subway car but unfortunately, it was also filled with the creepy crawlers.

"Damn it," Ellie swore again. She looked around and...was that a gun? Ellie bent down, picking up the object. Yeah, it most _definitely _was a gun. She recognized the type too; it was what the RPD used.

_Are there officers down here?_ Ellie wondered to herself as she got back up, unlocking the safety. Thanks to her boyfriend, she had some sort of idea on how guns worked. However, she was not a professional at it. Amateur would be a better fit for her.

"Alright, let's try this," Ellie said as she began to move forward. She pointed the gun at the closest zombie, firing one shot at them. The zombie stumbled but continued to make way towards Ellie. Ellie shot them again, right in the head, and the zombie went down; terminated. Ellie shot another zombie in a similar manner and realized that shooting them in the head is what ceased them. She supposed it made sense but to be fair...none of this made sense. This shouldn't have been happening in the first place! How the hell was all of this happening?

Ellie didn't have to do any more shooting, because she soon arrived at her destination. She ran off the metro and got aboveground. If Ellie thought being underground was bad...well, it was worse on the streets.

The outbreak was worse than what was being reported. Cars were littered everywhere on the street, most of them seemingly abandoned. Shops and buildings were seemingly bare and destroyed. Bodies—human and infected alike—littered the ground. It was gruesome.

"This isn't good," Ellie commented to herself, as she stuck to the sidewalk to get to the police station. It wasn't too far from where she was at now. She just had to avoid the clutter of the streets and the zombies that roamed around. She also noticed that if you were far away enough, then they did not notice you. This was good, because Ellie was not a fighter. (At least, not yet.) Right now, she wanted to stay as far away from them as possible. She just wanted to get to her safe point: the RPD.

* * *

Ellie wasn't sure what time it was but after a few hours on the run, she officially reached Raccoon Police Department. She also counted herself lucky that she ran into no trouble in the streets to get here now.

Ellie entered the courtyard, locking the gate behind her so no intruders could invade the RPD. As Ellie made way to the building, she couldn't help but wonder what it would be like inside. How many people were there? Were any of them affected? Were there enough supplies? How many first responders were here? Did her roommate know what was happening? Did her boyfriend know? God, she hoped they did.

These questions were instilled in Ellie as she made her way inside the station. As she entered the main hall, the young woman couldn't help but be in awe. She had never been here before. The main hall was grand, and despite the situation, beautiful. What ruined the beauty was blood streaks against the marble floor and how...disorganized and deserted it appeared. It was obvious that something was going on in the building. Ellie hoped that she wasn't too late.

Tentatively, the young woman ventured further into the main hall, going to the front desk.

"Hello? Is anyone here?" she called out. No one responded. That was not a good sign.

Ellie rang the front desk bell once, listening to the chime echoing throughout the grand room. She waited for a moment but still, there was no response.

_Oh shit, _Ellie thought. _This is not good at all._

Before Ellie could do any investigating, something grabbed her and pulled her close. The young woman yelled, turning to face—it was him?!

"Holy fuck!" Ellie yelled as she shoved her current art instructor away. She was surprised to see him here, even more so to see that he was infected like so many others. As much as she didn't like him, it was horrifying to see him like this. This just proved how anyone can be infected. In fact, it was proof that _everyone_ was becoming infected.

Even with Ellie shoving him away, her former professor still stalked after her. It was as if he was hell bent to go after her, which he probably was. She hated his class assignments. He was an asshole.

"Go the fuck away!" Ellie yelled at him, pointing her gun at him. When he was too close for her comfort, Ellie began to shoot at him. Once, twice, three times and he went down. Ellie kept her focus on him, in case he decided to move again. When he didn't, she lowered her weapon.

"That was for that self-portrait assignment, asshole," Ellie said, as she let her guard down. However, she felt a sudden clamp on her shoulder and let out a yelp as she turned around, pointing her gun at the perpetrator.

"Relax!" a man wearing the standard RPD police uniform shouted. "What are you doing here? Are you infected?"

"What? No, I—I just got here. I'm a student at the university, and the city is a complete mess!" Ellie rambled. The shock was finally settling in. "And I got here, and no one is here! Why is no one here?"

Once Marvin Branagh saw that Ellie was no threat, his demeanor softened. She was just a kid, unclear of what was happening. Branagh sighed, feeling the same way. All he knew that Raccoon City was infected, Chief Irons was nowhere to be found, and that there were not many survivors left.

"It's been a mess," Branagh admitted, taking his hand off her shoulder. "As you know by now, the city is infected. People came here for refuge but as you saw...there's not a whole lot of us left."

"Shit," Ellie swore under breath, backing away from the officer. Her hands found their way to her hair, pulling at it. "Oh, God damn it."

"Hey, hey, hey, calm yourself," Branagh advised the woman, stepping close to her; offering her support. "It'll be fine. We're gonna figure a way out of here."

Ellie eyed him apprehensively.

"You're trying to find a way out?" She left out her _as soon as I fought my way here?_ anecdote. "I'm not sure if that's possible. It was almost impossible to even get here!"

"We have to find a way," Branagh insisted, stern yet gentle. "It's not safe here, do you understand?"

Ellie sighed, closing her eyes as she nodded her head. He was right. Raccoon City was absolutely not safe, not anymore. They needed to get out of here, and Ellie was determined in helping him in any way that she could. She prayed that Leon and Mads would stay away from the mess that was Raccoon City.

"How can I help?"


	2. welcome to raccoon city (mads i)

**CHAPTER I:** Welcome to Raccoon City (Mads I)

* * *

Something was wrong; terribly wrong.

At the time when she left the university to visit family, Mads didn't envision that something would happen to Raccoon City. Since Mads has left, however, there had been news that something was going on in Midwestern metropolis...and it wasn't pretty. She wasn't even sure _ what _ was happening. All she knew was that the university sent out notices to _ not _return to campus. At first, Mads was relieved. She didn't want to return any time soon. She hated her current workload. This soon changed, however, as she heard the rumors of what was going on. Her relief soon turned into worry, which only increased as she heard nothing from her friends.

Mads wasn't the only one who was worried. Her brother was supposed to start his new job in Raccoon City. The original plan was for the two to travel back to Raccoon City after Mads' short visit, but his work had notified him to stay away. That's when he became on edge, especially when he had yet to hear from his girlfriend.

Mads blamed herself for that one, because she was best friends with the young woman. Ellie, however, was insistent that she had to finish her assignments. She would have been distracted by her boyfriend, which Mads couldn't help but feel disgusted by the mere thought. She loved that the two were together, but she didn't want to hear (or see) their PDA. That was only because her brother became rather dramatic in his affection when she was around.

Mads sighed, thinking about her brother's antics. She wished she could have convinced Ellie to travel back with her. She would rather deal with their PDA instead of not hearing from her friend for almost a week.

"Hey, are you okay?"

Mads tore her eyes away from the dark, rainy night to look at her brother who was driving. The two had both made the decision to go to Raccoon City to not only look for Ellie, but to check out what was going on.

"Yeah, just worried," Mads replied, glancing back to the windshield. She could feel her anxiety build up in her chest. She couldn't help but feel as if going back to Raccoon City was a _ terrible _ idea. She wouldn't tell her brother that, however. Besides, they needed to find Ellie.

"Me too," her brother admitted. "I wonder what's going on."

The siblings fell quiet for a moment, with the beating of the rain and the radio filling the silence. Mads' mouth twitched as she recognized the song.

_ There's two sides to every story _

_ The defeat or the pain of the glory _

_ Gone, gone _

"_ It ain't worth the pain _," Mads muttered under her breath, recognizing the stanza.

"_ Gone, gone_—" her brother joined in. " _ It ain't worth the pain _."

Despite the underlying worry they were both feeling, the pair couldn't help but feel uplifted with this little act. Their family had always made fun of them for their music taste, but so what? Music spoke to the soul, and this song couldn't be any more appropriate for the situation they were about to get in to.

Mads' brother ceased his singing as he pulled into a gas station. It was the Mizoil Gas Station; a sign that they were just outside of Raccoon City. Once he pulled up to the pump, Mads' brother promptly got out and began to pump gas into their vehicle, noting his surroundings.

As her brother was busy, Mads peered through her passenger side window. The young adult noticing how deserted and dim-lit Mizoil was. Sure, it was getting late but Mads was positive that the lights should have been brighter...and that the police cruiser pulled up should not have had the door hanging wide open with the headlights still on.

What the hell was going on?

In a fluid movement, Mads unbuckled her seat belt and leaned over in the driver's seat, rolling down the window to speak to her brother.

"Is it just me, or is this place creepy?" Mads asked him.

"It's definitely weird," her brother agreed. "I—"

Her brother stopped at the sound of glass breaking. Mads turned around, eyeing the door that led to the inside of Mizoil's convenience store. Mads shuddered.

"Lock the door," her brother advised.

"No need to tell me twice," Mads conceded, as she rolled the window back up. She locked the driver's side door before falling back into the passenger seat. Her eyes followed her brother's movement, until he went inside the store. If Mads had to guess, it was that her brother was about to get into some sort of trouble.

Mads glanced around, starting to notice just how vacant the gas station appeared. It was almost like...a ghost town. Cars abandoned, blood on the concrete...shit, there was blood! Oh, fuck. Oh, _ fuck _!

"We need to get the fuck out of—_AH!" _Mads cut herself off with her own screaming, as a body slammed against her door. "Who the fuck are you?!"

The person did not respond. Well, technically, they moaned in response. This person also looked like they came out of a horror movie. Ashen skin and just...zombie like.

"No way, there's no fucking way," Mads swore as she jumped into the driver's seat. She and her brother needed to get the _ fuck _ out of here. Madison turned the key to start the ignition but it failed.

"Are you fucking serious?" Mads cursed, as more and more of these zombie-like people surrounded the car. "Leon, I'm going to fucking kill you!"

Mads needed to get out and get out fast. Despite not knowing much of the situation, she knew that she would end up being someone's—or something's—dinner. She noticed how none of the zombies (could she call them that?) were crowding on the driver's side, so she dived into the back seat, grabbed the ice scraper and tumbled out of the passenger door. The young adult sprinted to the convenience door but stopped abruptly when she was knocked down. Without thinking, Mads thrusted out the ice scraper.

"Whoa!"

Mads looked up to see a woman who was around her age. She had a red jacket and her brown hair was up in a ponytail. She could be described as "cute" or "adorable" but Mads had a feeling she could pack a punch if she so desired.

Mads bounced back onto her feet, noticing that this young woman did not appear like the others who still surrounded the car she had escaped from. Mads wondered briefly if they had yet to realize she had disappeared.

"I'm sorry about that—" the red jacket cladded woman began but the sound of the door slamming open stopped her. Both this woman and Mads reacted to the noise, turning and putting their hands up as Mads' brother pointed his gun at them. Mads noticed the frazzled appearance he held.

"Don't shoot!" the young woman begged.

"Get down!" Leon, Mads' brother, warned. That's when Mads realized he wasn't pointing at them and she stooped down, pulling the girl with her. A shot rang off, and Mads turned to see that a zombie was lying on the ground behind them.

"Holy shit," Mads swore, as she got back up. Her brother stepped out of store, standing in between the two women. He still held his gun out in front of him, ready for his next shot.

"You alright?"

"Yeah, I think so…" the young woman trailed off. "Thanks."

"You can thank me later when we're safe," Leon deflected. He glanced at his sister. "I thought I told you to stay in the car."

"Believe me, I wanted to but _ they _ decided to come," Mads answered, gesturing to the slow-moving creatures. They were moving towards the trio and their cries were getting louder. "By the way, your car is shit. And I lost your keys."

Leon would have responded but he didn't have the chance to as the zombies drew nearer. Like his sister, he knew that they needed to get the hell out of there. His eyes flickered to the abandoned police cruiser, headlights still on.

"Come on!"

Leon ran to the police cruiser, with Mads and the young woman right behind him. He jumped into the driver's seat, his sister in the passenger seat, and the young woman in the back seat. As soon as all doors were slammed shot, he sped off into the night. Everyone took a moment to collect themselves, not fully adjusting to what was happening.

"What the hell is going on?" the young woman breathed out.

"I don't know...hopefully, they'll have something at the police station," Mads' brother answered.

"You're a cop?" the young asked.

"Yeah, Leon Kennedy. You are…?"

"Claire Redfield," the woman responded. She looked at Mads. "Sorry I ran into you back there."

"It's alright," Mads brushed off the apology. "I'm Mads Kennedy, by the way. I'm Leon's sister. Do you live around here?" She could have sworn she's heard the name Redfield before.

"No. I'm looking for my brother," Claire answered. She glanced at Leon. "He's a cop, too."

Redfield...brother...cop. Wait—

"Is your brother Chris Redfield?" Mads asked. She had her answer by the way Claire's face lit up.

"Yes! Do you know him?"

"I've ran into him a couple times, weirdly enough. I always saw him when I went to the store. Nice guy." She would have added that Chris was quite the looker but she figured that would have grossed Claire out. Mads knew that when people said that her brother was hot, she always died a little bit in the inside. Leon was _ not _hot. He was a dweeb. She still can't believe that her best friend/roommate was dating him.

Fuck. Ellie.

"You know, we're looking for someone, too," Mads brought up, glancing at her brother who kept his eyes on the road. She could tell her comment caused a reaction by the way his hands flexed on the steering wheel. "We hope we can find her."

"We will," Leon clenched his jaw, assertiveness clear in his tone. Mads decided to back off from this topic. She did not want to cause any worry for her brother. Ellie was safe. She _ had _ to be.

"We will," Mads agreed. Her eyes flickered to the mirror, catching Claire's attention. "We'll find your brother, too."

They had to. 

* * *

"Oh my God, this is so unreal…"

Claire was right. As Leon drove into down, the trio began to see just how affected Raccoon City appeared. The streetlights were dimmer than Mads remembered them to be. The headlights of the cruiser were the trio's best source of light. Cars cluttered the street, as if people were too impatient with traffic and fled. If Mads thought Mizoil was a ghost town, then Raccoon City was a ghost empire. Besides Mads, Leon, and Claire, there was no one in sight.

_ Where is everyone? _ Mads thought. _ Are they okay? Is Ellie okay? _

Judging by the announcements that echoed throughout the city, everyone was advised to go to the police station. Mads sighed in relief when she heard that. She knew Ellie would have gone there. Now, she can only hope that Ellie made it. Something about Raccoon City was off, more so than usual.

"The police station's not much farther. They'll know something," Leon told his passengers.

"Hopefully," Mads murmured. Leon scowled at his sister with a look that said, "not helping".

"What if we're the only ones?" Claire asked, drawing the siblings' attention to her. "What if there's no survivors—"

"There's survivors," Leon said with hard determination. It's a big city...there has to be."

There was a brief, uncomfortable silence in the car. Mads couldn't help but feel slightly guilty. Her brother was on edge, she knew that, and she knew her comment did not help. Claire's doubt didn't help either, but she didn't know the depth of Leon's concerns.

As Mads was opening her mouth, she stopped as Leon began to slow down. In front of them, the road was blocked off. Great.

"It looks like we're walking from here," Leon mused, unbuckling his seat belt.

"More like running," Claire commented. Mads turned to look at her, before twisting around again to look out her passenger side window. It took a second for her eyesight to adjust, but Mads quickly figured out what she meant. Two figures were bent down and judging by the faint sounds she could hear, it sounds like they were enjoying dinner.

Ah, fuck.

"Good call—" Leon began but stopped as one of the creatures slammed against his side. Another slammed against Mads', who screamed out of terror. More were coming, slamming into the cruiser and trying to get in.

"Leon, we gotta backup!"

Leon nodded, shifting gears and stepped on the gas pedal. However, hearing the distant noise of a horn made everyone in the car freeze. Slowly, Mads turned around to see where the source was coming from. Headlights blinded her, but she was able to make out a cargo truck barrelling through the streets, obliterating infected citizens and abandoned cars alike.

"Oh, _ shit_."

"Get out. Get out _ now _ !" Leon was screaming. Mads and Claire were trying to open their doors, but they wouldn't budge. They were barricaded in.

"I can't!" Claire cried out.

"We're blocked in!" Mads added.

"Hold on!" Leon told them, bracing the steering wheel. Both women made sure their doors were shut. Mads braced herself against the dashboard, with her right hand clutching to the roof handle. All of a sudden, their patrol car surged forward as the cargo truck lost traction and crashed into cars, causing a train reaction. Mads' body hit the dash, before bouncing back and slamming her head against the passenger side window at the sudden jolt.

"Ah, fuck!" Mads yelled. "God damn it!"

Quickly, Mads rushed out of the car, holding her head. She had gotten out just in time, as the cruiser caught on fire.

"Oh, great," Mads moaned, as she stumbled farther away. Her head was _ pounding _, but she did her best to ignore it. The young woman had not gotten too far when she was suddenly thrown a few feet away from the police cruiser. She hit the pavement, shoulder first, which hurt like hell. Good luck was not on her side at the moment.

"Hey, are you alright?"

Mads barely registered that someone was helping her up, until she regained her equilibrium. She looked up to see that Claire was holding her by her forearm, concern written on her face.

"Yeah, I'm fine but—" Mads glanced around, noting that Leon wasn't with them. Oh, no. "Leon? Leon?!"

There was no answer and for a moment, Mads felt absolute dread as she stared at the flaming police cruiser. Did Leon make it out? God, she fucking hope he did. Oh, God. Oh, fuck—

"Mads! Claire! Are you two okay?"

Mads let out a cry in relief as she heard Leon's voice. He was on the other side of the car. She wasn't sure what his condition was, but he was alive.

"We're alright!" Mads yelled back in reply. "What about you?"

There was a pause, until Leon answered once more.

"I can't stay here! It's not safe!"

_ Yeah, no shit, _Mads thought as she glanced around again. More infected citizens were drawing near the two women, and Mads thought they were in peril, until Claire pulled out a pistol.

"Go on ahead! We'll meet you at the station!" Claire had told him, before shooting an infected man right through the head.

"I'll be there!" Leon yelled back, before presumably running off. Mads wasn't going to wait if that was the case. She and Claire had to flee. _ Now _.

"Let's go!" Mads told Claire, motioning the young woman to follow her.

"Do you know where we're going?" Claire asked.

"Yeah, in a general sense!" Mads replied. "I'm kinda familiar with this part of the city!"

The two women advanced quickly through the streets. Mads had noticed that as long as you didn't draw too close, then the infected would leave you alone. This was good, because Mads had nothing to defend herself with like Claire did.

"I can't believe it," Claire said as they turned onto a street. "Everyone has turned."

"Yeah, they have," Mads found herself saying softly, as Claire's words kicked in. _ Everyone has turned. _ Did her friends turn? Did _ Ellie _ turn? God, she hoped the fuck not. Leon would be devastated if Ellie wasn't safe, and Mads would never forgive herself for that. Why didn't Ellie simply go with Mads on her trip home? It would have made everything much easier.

"So, uh...you said you were looking for your brother?" Mads asked Claire. She figured she could make polite conversation, especially now as they reached a deserted area of the city. She wondered if they were close to the RPD. Mads didn't recognize the street they were on.

"Yeah. I haven't heard from him in awhile. I was hoping the station had some answers," Claire answered. "Do you live around here?"

"Only during the semesters," Mads replied. "I go to the University."

"I see," Claire nodded. "I'm assuming you were out of the city when the outbreak began?"

"Yeah, I went home for the weekend to visit my family. More specifically, my grandma, but I was also helping Leon packing up for his move here. He recently got hired by the RPD, so yeah. His girlfriend, who is also my best friend, was supposed to travel back with me...but she didn't. And now we don't know where she is."

Mads felt a tremble go through her but if it was from the weather or her nerves, she didn't know.

"I'm sure we'll find her," Claire assured, noting the somber expression Mads wore.

"I hope we do, too," Mads agreed, silently thanking Claire for her optimism.

Neither woman knew how long it took to get to the station, but it was longer than either of them had hoped. They had to fight their way through a crowd of the infection; Claire with her gun and Mads with a scrap piece of metal she found in the street. It turned out that they made a pretty good team. One of Mads' favorite moves that they did was with her knocking down the enemy, and Claire would blow their brains out. It was great team work.

Anyway, the two women finally made their way to the station through one of the minor entrances. Claire had spotted the gate, and the two women rushed towards it, Mads opening it. She allowed Claire to enter first, before following suit and locking the gate.

"Phew," Mads wheezed out. "What a journey, huh? I'm sure Leon beat us here."

"I'm sure he has," Claire agreed, as the two women crossed across the courtyard. During their trek, they noticed the graves that littered across the courtyard. What really made Mads stop, however, were the thin metal poles that were stuck within the graves. She gulped, having a feeling that they weren't simply grave markers.

"Oh, shit," Mads had said, which drew attention from Claire.

"Is everything alright?"

"I'm not sure," Mads admitted, as she gestured to one of the burial spots. "Have you ever heard of a vampire grave?" Claire shook her head no. "Well, when people believed that they buried a vampire, they believed that the deceased isn't _ actually _ deceased. They believed they could revive themselves or be transformed into the undead. To play it safe, they would put a stake through their heart at burial, to really make sure that the person was dead and couldn't be revived."

At first, Claire didn't understand why Mads was telling her this. She stared at the young woman, before her eyes flickered back to the so-called stake. Slowly but surely, Claire finally registered what Mads was really trying to say.

"We're dealing with a zombie burial," Claire declared. Mads nodded.

"Yeah. We are_ so _ fucked," Mads began. "If the cops were doing this then...fuck! This is serious, Claire. We're about to be in some deep shit tonight."

While Mads was really just rambling due to her anxiety rising, there was truth to her words. She had predicted their fate: this night was going to change everyone, for better or for worse.


	3. reunited (leon i)

**A/N:** What I was planning to do was write out a good chunk of the next chapter before publishing this, yet here we are. (Perhaps it will help me feel more motivated writing the next chapter?) Chapter two! I'm planning on alternating between character POVs for each story line, but I'm afraid we may have at least one back-to-back POV chapter for one of the characters. Also, I don't think I clarified this beforehand, but the route I am using is Leon A, Claire B. So, keep that in mind.

* * *

_Pl_ease_ be safe. Please be safe. Please be safe._

These thoughts ran through Leon's mind as he traveled throughout Raccoon City, and even once he entered the Raccoon Police Department. His world was slowly crashing down. First, Racoon City gets some bizarre outbreak. Second, he hasn't heard from his girlfriend in about a _week_, who resided in said infected city. Third, he had to part ways with his sister and their new acquaintance after some freak accident. Leon knew that they could take care of themselves but still, he couldn't help but worry. His girlfriend was unaccounted for, he had heard his sister banging her head against the glass window, and his employers told him to stay away when he was supposed to start his job a week ago.

Talk about one hell of a first day on the job, right? Right.

Leon couldn't help but sigh as he entered the R.P.D. He knew he shouldn't have been feeling this way, but he was already tired. The underlying stress was eating at him but...but he had to be here. He couldn't just turn his back and pretend everything was okay. He needed to come here; he needed to help.

"Is anybody there?" Leon called out, his voice echoing throughout the main hall of the R.P.D. He had only been here a handful of times, but there was already a stark difference between then and now. It was once organized, but not there were evidence of displacement and something big happening.

No one replied to Leon, which he took as a warning sign. He knew it was bad outside, but what about here? The announcements he had heard urged citizens to come here for shelter. What happened? Did the outbreak reach out to here? God, he hoped not.

Seeing that no one was in the main hall and that the computer at the welcome station was on, Leon trekked over to it, logging on. Maybe he could dig up something useful?

"There has to be someone here," Leon said to himself, as he pulled up security camera footage. He watched anxiously, eyes darting to each frame as he tried to find _any_ life. A few seconds in, and he saw one frame flash—gunfire. Clicking on it, the frame took over the screen and Leon watched as a member of R.P.D. was fleeing from one of the infected.

"Not good," Leon commented.

"David! Marvin! Ellie! Are you there?"

"Ellie?" Leon repeated, not believing he heard the name. Was this Ellie _his_ Ellie? Did Ellie make it here? Leon felt like he was on fire—he prayed to God that she was still alive and not infected.

"I found a way out! It's in here!" the R.P.D. member continued, holding up a small rectangle to the camera. Leon assumed it was a book, but he wasn't 100% sure. Leon watched as the R.P.D. member resisted the forces of the infected that chased him. "Send reinforcements! East Hallway!"

At the name of the location, Leon pulled up a map of the R.P.D., locating East Hallway.

"I gotta find that guy," Leon declared, as he stepped back from the computer. After taking a few moments to collect himself, Leon made his way to East Hallway.

The trip to East Hallway wasn't pretty. Leon ended up having to open one of shutter doors and crawl underneath it, since it couldn't go all the way up. After Leon officially entered the hallway, he noticed just how dark and damp it was. There was no light except for the flash light he found, and blood was splattered from floor to ceiling.

"What happened here?" Leon pondered. It was like a massacre occurred right in this very hall. As he ventured further in, he found himself splashing in water. The place was flooded up to his ankles. It must have rained, Leon concluded, as he could feel the breeze flow in from the shattered windows.

As Leon ventured further in, he found that his uneasiness grew. He had this, though. He wasn't afraid. He had to find his coworker. He needed help.

However, as Leon ventured into the last room, his stomach plummeted as he noticed the bodies of dead police officers littered in the room. The rookie cop swallowed hard. This was all still difficult to take in, if he had to be honest.

"OPEN UP! HURRY! OPEN UP!"

Leon perked up, hearing the familiar voice. It was the R.P.D. member, an officer, that he had seen in the camera footage, the one that found a way out; whatever that meant.

Leon rushed to the shutter door, hurrying to help.

"I'll get you out!" Leon promised, as he began to lift the door. It took a moment, but Leon was able to pry the door up just a little bit, enough to see that the R.P.D. member was there. He was reaching his arms out to Leon, the little rectangle in hand.

"Please! Help me!" the officer begged.

"I got you, give me your hand," Leon advised, as he grabbed onto the officer. Leon began to pull the man out, but the man got stuck. Leon then grabbed his other hand,continuing to pull the officer out when all of a sudden, the officer was screaming bloody murder. Blood splattered both Leon and the officer, but it didn't stop Leon from trying to rescue the man.

"Hang in there!" Leon advised, as he tried to tug the officer out from under the shutter. The officer kept screaming as if he was in pain, and Leon didn't quite understand why until a few moments later, when he was successful in freeing the officer.

Well, freeing _half_ of the officer. It was like he was sawed in half, as only the upper half of his body was on the safe side of the door.

"Oh my God…" Leon whispered, as he bent down to the officer, trying to calm him down. "Jesus Christ."

After a few moments of flailing around, the officer went limp. It was a no-brainer, but he died from blood loss and shock.

_What a way to go,_ Leon thought grimly. _I hope no one else is going to have to go through this._

Leon had to take a few deep breaths in order to remain cool, stopping abruptly as he noticed the brown little rectangle on the floor, next to the dead officer. Leon picked it up, examining it. He couldn't tell from the security camera, but Leon could now see that the officer had found a little brown notebook of sorts. A notebook that could lead the way out. The way out of what? The police station? As Leon flipped through the notebook, he saw that his question was answered.

Growls drew Leon back to reality. Inwardly, he cringed, as he knew what was coming. There was only one group of people who were making those noises, and it was the infected population of Raccoon City.

Leon drew out his gun, preparing for the worst to come. He heard someone trying to burst into the room he was currently in and in a few seconds, an infected R.P.D. member burst through the room. Leon took no time into shooting him, before jetting the fuck out of there. He needed to return to the Main Hall, and _fast_.

As Leon had to haul ass, his trip took longer than what he would have liked. He could hear windows shattering and moans entering the room. Was it just him, or did all of the zombies decide to just show up out of nowhere because fuck, they were everywhere!

Leon was able to find his way to the shutter door back to the Main Hall, and wasted no time into crawling out. However, as he was almost free, he felt something grab his ankle. He turned back to see one of the zombies was attempting to pull him back.

"God damn it!" Leon swore, as he struggled to get away. He would _not_ become someone's next meal.

Just as the young rookie was trying to figure out how to get away, someone pulled him out of the zombie's grasp. Leon looked up to see an R.P.D. officer (lieutenant, was Leon's guess) pushing the infected back.

"Watch out!" Leon warned, as he watched the officer crush the zombie's skull with the shutter door.

_...or _don't _watch out_, Leon thought lamely. This man had it covered.

"You're safe...for now," the officer said to Leon, slouching against the shutter down. It was evident that he was worn out. Leon noted that the officer was clutching one side, which was painted with blood. That couldn't be good.

"Thanks," Leon huffed out. He was out of breath too, after all the shit he had just gone through.

"Marvin Branagh," the officer identified himself.

"Leon Kennedy," Leon said, still panting hard. "There was another officer...I-I couldn't...I couldn't…"

Branagh offered Leon his hand, and Leon accepted it, being pulled back up.

"I'm sure you did what you could, Leon," Branagh assured the young man.

"Leon?"

Leon perked up, recognizing the voice. He felt his heart beat fast and going through thousands of emotions, as he turned around.

"Ellie?"

It was Leon's girlfriend and Mads' best friend, Ellie Barrow. The young woman who they haven't heard from in weeks. The young woman that Leon could never stop thinking about, for better or for worse. He stared at her, taking in her appearance. She was disheveled, with her plaid shirt awry and smudges of dirt and blood littering her but overall, she looked fine. Great, even.

"Ellie…" Leon trailed off, as he ran halfway to meet her. As soon as he felt her body against his, he held her close, breathing in her scent. He didn't care if it was a mixture of her signature scent and sweat. He missed her too much to care about it.

"Leon, I'm fucking terrified," was the first thing Ellie said. "I was just—I was in my dorm and then all of a sudden, Raccoon City is being zombified, and I had to kill my asshole art professor and—" the young woman kept rambling, practically filling in all that he had missed. Leon could feel her shaking, which caused him hold onto her tighter.

"Hey, hey, it's okay. I'm here now. We'll be okay. I promise," Leon soothed his girlfriend. "God, I'm so glad you're safe. Mads and I have been worried sick—"

"Mads? Oh shit, where is she? Is she okay?"

"Yeah, she's fine. We got separated, but she's on her way here now," Leon answered. "I've missed you so much, you have no idea how scared I've been thinking about you."

"I'm sorry," Ellie apologized, finally pulling away. Leon knew that it took her a lot of strength to that, as she was very touch starved. "I know I should have gone with Mads…"

"It's okay. I'm just glad that you're safe...well, as safe as you we can be right now," Leon corrected himself. He glanced at Branagh, who was trying his best to give the couple privacy.

"He saved me. Marvin, this is my boyfriend who I was telling you about," Ellie said to the lieutenant, who nodded in acknowledgement.

"Welcome to the force, Kennedy. Let's get you in a uniform."

Fifteen minutes later, Leon was dressed in a R.P.D. uniform Leon and Branagh were back in the Main Hall, while Ellie went to go scrounge for more supplies. Leon was still adjusting to his uniform, which felt surreal to be in. He dreamt of being in uniform, but the situation was not ideal. His first day on the job was not what he had imagined, but he was glad to be here. However, one question still remained:

"Does anyone know what started this?"

"Not a clue," Branagh answered. He sat on one of the couches the Main Hall had, searching through a computer. He was still clutching to his side. While she was helping him put on his uniform, Ellie had informed Leon that there was an attack which ended with Branagh getting bit and Ellie putting a bullet through the zombie's head.

_Zombies_, Leon had pondered on her word choice. _Is that what they really were? Zombies?_ They acted like them, but it felt like he was being dragged into fiction or in one of his sister's stories that she learned.

_Zombies_. The word made Leon's stomach turn, but he supposed it was a correct term whether he liked it or not. It did flow better than "infected".

"Honestly, all you need to know is that this place will eat you alive if aren't careful," Branagh added, finally looking back to the rookie cop, who was loading his gun.

"Yeah, well, I was supposed to start last week but I got a call to say away," Leon informed the lieutenant. "I wish I'd come here sooner."

"You're here now, Leon. That's all that matters," Branagh told him. Leon didn't know it, but Branagh was glad that he made it. Branagh wasn't going to last longer, and the lieutenant wanted to make sure that Ellie and any other survivors would make it out.

Speaking of Ellie, she had returned. Her appearance was neater, with most the blood and grime gone. She had her backpack on, which was presumably full of supplies. When she saw Leon gazing at her, Ellie offered him a smile. Seeing her smile made Leon's heart soar. God, he had missed her so much. He didn't want to be away from her like that ever again.

"You look good," Leon told her.

"I could say the same for you," Ellie replied, stopping in front of him. She eyed him, looking up and down. "You ready?"

"Yeah," Leon sighed, as he turned to Branagh, who was studying the notebook. "I'm ready now."

"Hopefully, you two are able to find a way out of the station," Branagh told the couple. He directed his attention to Leon. "That officer you met earlier, Elliot. He thought this secret passageway might do the trick."

Branagh lifted the notebook to Leon, who took it out of the Lieutenant's bloody hand. He studied the sketch, noting that a bloody print was indicating that a statue—the Goddess statue—was the way out. Three medallions were needed, according to the notebook. Leon had no idea where they were but other than that—

"This is good news. We can get you to a hospital—"

"No, no, I am _not_ the priority here," Branagh shook his head furiously.

"Lieutenant, I'm not just gonna leave you here—" Leon began, but the lieutenant shot him down.

"I'm giving you an order, rookie! You save yourself and your girl first," Branagh ordered. Leon felt Ellie tense beside him. "I'd come with you, but I'd just slow you down…"

Leon said nothing.

"You'll need this," Branagh began, slowly getting up to give Leon a combat knife. Leon wouldn't accept it.

"I can't take—"

"Stop," Branagh ordered, his voice strain. Relectunately, Leon grabbed the knife.

"Don't make my mistake," Branagh advised, his tone hardening again. "If you see one of those things—uniform or not—you do not hesitate. You take it out or run. Got it?"

Leon nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Good," Branagh nodded. His turned to Ellie. "You watch out. Help him out. Still got your gun?"

"Yes," Ellie said, voice quiet.

"Take them out," Branagh reminded before succumbing to a coughing fit. He slid back down to the couch, wincing hard. Judging by his face, Branagh wasn't doing too hot.

"We won't let you down," Ellie promised the lieutenant. She turned to Leon. "Come on, Leon. We gotta find that way out. I think I know where we can start."

"Alright, show me the way," Leon extending his arm out, gesturing for Ellie to go first. Ellie glanced back at Branagh one more time, before darting off.

For a second, Leon just stood there, combat knife in hand. He thought about the interaction between Branagh and Ellie. It was obvious that the lieutenant cared for the rookie cop and the civilian, but he had two distinct ways of showing it. He was more stern with Leon but more relaxed—almost soft—with Ellie. Leon wondered how the two became so close. What happened?

"Leon, come on!"

Knowing that it was not the time to sit around, Leon rushed over to where Ellie was. She stood in front of an electric panel that was taped up.

"You think you can cut this open?" Ellie asked.

"Sure," Leon replied, cutting the tape. He opened up the panel and pulled the switch, causing the gate to retract and allowing the duo access to the next room.

"This is not how I imagined my first day," Leon commented.

"Tell me about it," Ellie said, as she stashed more supplies into her backpack. "It's been crazy this past week. You have no idea."

"Well, I think I got some idea, and I'm about to find out more," Leon pointed out. He found a door that would lead them further into the station. Even though he's been here a handful of times, he didn't realize just how big the place was. "You ready?"

"I'm ready to get the fuck out of here," Ellie replied. Leon nodded, deciding that her answer was valid. The rookie cop entered through the door first, his girlfriend right behind him. Both turned their flashlights on—the more light the better, right?

Leon studied the section of the hallway they were in. While still in disary, one could argue that this side of R.P.D. was more organized. There were blood splatters, but not as much as he has already seen. In some routes, there were barricades built up.

"There was an outbreak in the R.P.D.," Ellie whispered, most likely sensing Leon's bewilderment. "We had to build barricades and bar the windows. It's been a real nightmare."

"I bet," Leon whispered back, venturing further down the hallway with Ellie right behind him. He heard a noise that made him pause for a second, before realizing that it was static sounds...coming from a radio.

_"—heading east—River. Touchdown at R.P.D.—minutes."_

Leon and Ellie made way to the source of the dialogue, which rattled off of a radio that belonged to a police officer. The body was hunched over, clearly displaying that the officer was dead—and possibly for some time.

_"I repeat, touchdown—"_

Leon crouched down, examining the officer. He noticed that there was a long, red gash sliced across the face, ear to mouth.

"What—?"

"Leon, don't," Ellie warned.

Leon didn't hear her, too busy wondering what this was. Carefully, he tilted the head up to conduct a thorough investigation. Suddenly, the face of the officer just...fell apart. Leon had practically pried the head open; it was deteriorating.

"What the fuck?"

"Leon, stop! That's fucking disgusting!" Ellie shouted in a whisper. Leon did scoot back, but both young adults let out a yelp of surprise as they heard a _ting!_

"Huh?"

"What the fuck?!"

Leon and Ellie said at the same time. Leon rose from his position, stepping further into the hallway after a pause. Ellie followed suit.

"Look out Leon, there's a—" Ellie began to say, but her warning was futile. Leon had passed by the suspended body of a dead officer, which fell to the floor as he passed by it.

"Ah!" Leon let out.

"—body," Ellie lamely finished, watching him tug on a door. It was locked.

"It's locked," Leon said.

"Thanks for sharing with us," Ellie retorted.

"No problem," Leon replied, not fazed by his girlfriend's humor. "It just means we gotta keep moving forward."

"Great," Ellie commented again, following her boyfriend further down the hall. They passed by a shattered window, rain blowing in and causing the floors to be slick.

"Hopefully nothing crawls in here," Ellie said tentatively.

"They won't," Leon promised her. Right after he said that, however, there was a sudden _bang! _on an intact window. It scared the living hell out of Leon and Ellie, as they noticed a zombie trying to break in.

"You were saying?" Ellie mused.

"Let's go!" Leon advised, rushing down the hall. The couple ignored the glass breaking as they entered one of the operation rooms.

"How are we going to get out of here?" Ellie questioned as soon as the doors shut behind them. They wouldn't have too long until the zombie followed them.

Leon looked around, trying to see if there was any other way out. Just as he heard banging on the doors, he noted the large crates against the wall, that led up to a shattered awning window.

"Follow me!" Leon said, running to the crates. He climbed on top, Ellie following suit.

"Let me help you up," Leon offered, squatting and positioned himself. In a swift movement Leon pushed Ellie upward, who went through the window and out to the other side. Leon followed suit, landing right next to her.

"Leon, there's another one! You want me to get him?"

"I got this," Leon declined her offer, shooting the zombie three times in the head. "Thanks for the offer."

"I got your back," Ellie reminded him, as they trekked into the West Office. This is where one of the medallions were located, both were sure of it.

"Alright, let's split up. I'll look in the main office, and you can check out the room," Leon suggested to his girlfriend. Ellie shrugged, signalling that she'll follow through with his idea. Leon stood back for a moment, watching her move around before heading into the office.

Tentatively, the young rookie stepped into the room. Similar to the rest of the office, and the department building in general, this room was in disarray. He could hear the blood sticking to his boot has he entered the office, grimacing internally at the sound. He noted the civilian on the ground, signs of infection and seemingly terminated. At that, his grimace appeared on his face.

_What a nightmare_, Leon thought once more as he made way to the big green safe behind—what he assumed Branagh's—desk.. He knelt down in front of the safe and started to spin the dial around, listening and feeling for the clicks. His grandfather had taught him a trick on how to unlock safes if he didn't know the combination. Leon wasn't the best with it, but he could succeed if he put his mind to it.

In a new personal record, Leon was quick to unlock the safe. Besides an extra R.P.D. hip pouch, there was nothing else in here. That was okay, though, because he needed the extra storage.

Leon lifted himself off from the ground, peeking around. There seemed to be nothing else of value, so he returned to the main room. He saw Ellie at one of the desks nearby, seemingly reading something.

"What's that?" Leon asked, making his way towards her. Ellie glanced up to him, before looking back down to the papers.

"Operation Report," his girlfriend answered, handing the file to him. He took it, nodding in thanks. He skimmed through it, which just informed the reader about the possibility of escaping through the sewer system. Leon felt his heart drop as he noted who signed it off.

Elliot Edward. He was the officer whose body was cleaved in half. The officer that Leon couldn't save.

God. If Leon couldn't save him...did that mean he couldn't save others trapped here? He hoped not. He would kill himself if his sister, his girlfriend, and everyone else died because of him. No. He wouldn't let that happen. He would—

"Leon?"

The young rookie in question looked down to the source. It was only Ellie, who stared at him in concern. He felt himself relax, not realizing that he had tensed up, as he saw her.

_She's okay,_ Leon reminded himself, as he slowly set the file down.

"You okay? You got really tense there," Ellie wondered.

Leon nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay. It's just that this was Edward. He was the one I couldn't save."

Ellie gave him a soft smile. She knew of him.

"He was a good guy, but he wouldn't want you to blame yourself," Ellie told him. She knew that he had a big heart, which was one of the many things she both liked and disliked about him. Sighing, she handed him another piece of paper. It felt soft against Leon's hands.

"There's also a puzzle that was meant for you," Ellie explained. "It was meant for you for your first day but...you know."

Leon snorted at her explanation.

"Yeah, I know," he agreed. Again, he began to read through the paper.

_Leon S. Kennedy, we're putting you on a very special case for your first assignment._

_Your mission is...to unlock your desk!_

"Great," Leon muttered, as he continued to read the instructions. Ellie snickered at his comment.

"I know. Puzzles aren't your favorite but on the bright side: I unlocked one of them already," Ellie informed him. "We should really have your sister here for this. She'd crack this in no time."

"Yeah, she would," Leon agreed, grinning at the thought. Mads was always great with brain teasers. His smile faded, not only remembering where she was at right now (which, he didn't know _where_ she was at right now), but because of the blood he finally noted on the corner of the paper.

_Be glad you're not here, rookie._

* * *

After successfully unlocking his desk and collecting what was needed there and the roll film from the safety deposit room, Leon and Ellie made way down the hall to the darkroom. Leon had a feeling that the roll film held a vital clue to finding their puzzle, so he had it develop while Ellie boarded up the windows. Earlier, Leon had thought the zombies were spread out but he had noticed that R.P.D. was down right _infested_ with the creepy crawlers.

Leon suppressed his shudder as he watched the film develop. It was like watching paint dry, he thought. Eventually, however, the film developed. Leon inspected it, before deciding he had no idea why the fuck he had it. The only thing he knew about it at this point was that eventually, he _would_ need it.

Whatever.

Leon exited the darkroom, just in time to see Ellie halfway up the staircase, shooting at one of the zombies. He watched as the zombie fell forward, stumbling down past Ellie and onto the first floor.

Leon grinned.

"Nice shot," he praised his girlfriend. He couldn't help but feel a swell of pride. _He_ taught her that.

"Thanks," Ellie breathed out. She looked up, head turning so she could observe the second floor.

"You think the spare key could be up here?"

Leon shrugged. "It's possible. Let's check it out."

The two adults made their way up to the second floor, entering the men's locker room first. It turns out, Ellie was right: there was a portable safe stashed there and after a few (okay, more than a few) tries, Leon got it to open. The spare key they needed was there.

The two rushed back downstairs to the safety deposit room, ignoring any sound or sudden movement. They would deal with that later. In a rushed movement, Leon jammed the spare key where it needed to be, punching in the numbers they needed. Ellie was quick to grab what they needed and handed to Leon, who stashed the items away. Then, just as quickly as they came, the couple ran off again, heading to the third floor.

Compared to the first and second floors, the third floor was unfurnished. The best way that Leon could describe it was that it reminded him of the attic from his childhood home where all the miscellaneous items were stored in. Boxes were scattered about and the floorboards creaked. The only difference between the two locations was that there were blood and gore scattered about here. That, and it was much more cluttered.

Another stark difference, Leon noted, was that there was a hole in the wall. He didn't like that at all. While he was pretty sure that this was definitely a health and infrastructure hazard, he couldn't help but feel as if...this deconstruction was recent. The scent of the area gave it away, especially once he heard Ellie sneeze. Just as he was about to voice his concerns, he heard a growl and saw a figure move from the corner of his eye.

Quickly, the young rookie cop turned to confront the mysterious shadow, light shining where he last saw it. Whatever the thing was must be fast, however, because it was no longer in sight.

"What in the—!?" Leon mustered out, before jogging down the corridor. Whatever the thing was, he wanted to kill it. He ran into the next room, Ellie right on his heels.

"What the fuck are you doing?!" his girlfriend exclaimed.

"I saw something!" Leon explained. "I swear to God, Ellie. I heard it."

"Alright, I believe you but geez, warn me next time?" Ellie requested. "You scared the fuck out of me."

"Sorry," Leon apologized, as they entered the R.P.D. Library.

The library was two stories. R.P.D.'s second floor served as the first floor, and the third floor was the library's second.

_Well_, Leon thought. _The second floor is more of a walkway area. _Truth be told, it reminded him of Lara Croft's mansion in the _Tomb Raider_ games that his sister loved to play.

While the level they were on was safe, the bottom floor was filled with zombies. It wasn't hard to hear them. They were _loud_. Was that weird shadowy figure Leon saw in here? God, he hoped not.

_"Leon, Ellie, it's Marvin. I need you two back here ASAP."_

Leon was quick to swipe his walkie-talkie from his belt. Whether he admitted it or not, he was glad to hear from his superior.

"Are you okay, Marvin?" Leon asked, halting his tracks. Ellie was a few feet behind him, investigating the bookshelves.

_"I've got something to show you. It's important,"_ came Branagh's reply.

"Copy that, we'll be there," Leon promised, before hanging the device back onto his belt. He then grabbed Ellie's hand, motioning her that they needed to cross the walkway.

"Let's go this way," Leon suggested.

"Okay, yeah," the petite woman agreed, gripping his hand tightly. Leon gave her a small grin of reassurance, before leading the two across the walkway.

"I wonder what he found," Ellie pondered out loud, not really expecting him to give her an answer.

"I bet he—" Leon started, but stopped abruptly as he fell through a weak point of the walkway. What the fuck?!

"Oh my God. LEON!" Ellie screamed. Her voice was somewhat distant, as there was a slight ring in Leon's hearing.

"I'm okay!" Leon waved off the rather offbeat incident. He couldn't worry about his fall, as the loud crash alerted the zombies on the first floor of the library. They all began to stalk towards him, but the young rookie was ready.

Carefully in his movements, Leon began to take the zombies down, one by one. He had to dodge them a few times but overall, he thought he was doing a pretty good job. It also helped that Ellie had ran down the stairs to help him deal with the bastards.

"Fucking _die_ already!" Leon heard Ellie yell, frustration evident in her tone. He couldn't help but smile. He loved his girlfriend very much, no matter what the current state he or she was in.

After a few minutes of reloading weapons and terminating stubborn zombies, the library was still. He and Ellie were able to explore the area, collecting the red book that they needed and eventually, entered the lounge.

In the lounge, there was a unicorn statue, and Leon could hear paper being shuffled behind him. He assumed Ellie was searching for something, and his hypothesis was soon proven to be correct.

"This is where the Unicorn Medallion is," Ellie informed him, as she looked at the sketch in the notebook. "You see the symbols at the base?"

Leon inspected the statue's base. Sure enough, there were symbols there.

"Yeah," he confirmed.

"Okay, they need to be as followed: two fish, a scorpion—hey, that's my zodiac sign, and...a jar? Try that."

Leon followed her instructions, flipping through each symbol until he found the correct one. Ellie's instructions proved to be successful, because he was able to retrieve the Unicorn Medallion.

"Oh, fuck yeah," Leon grinned, showing Ellie the prize. "We got it!"

"Great! Now let's get the fuck out of here."

* * *

After escaping the Lounge and collecting the Lion Medallion from the second level of the Main Hall, Leon and Ellie reunited with Lieutenant Branagh.

Branagh was in the same place where they left him, albeit his appearance slowly succumbing to his infection. As he was studying the laptop's security footage in front of him, the rookie and the civilian noted how he clutched his side. It was evident that his symptoms were progressing.

"There you are…" Branagh heaved. He was breathing heavier since the last time Leon and Ellie saw him. "Come here, take a look."

Branagh pulled up one of one of the images. Leon and Ellie leaned closer to inspect it. They were seeing footage from the security camera from the West Courtyard. In the image, there were two figures; two women.

"Is that Mads?" Ellie asked, squinting over Leon's shoulder to get a better view.

"It is! I knew she and Claire would make it!" Leon grinned. His sister was a bit of a wild card and while he didn't know Claire too well, he had a feeling that she could definitely stand her ground.

"You know them?" Branagh wondered.

"Yeah. Mads is my sister, and Claire came into town with us," Leon explained simply with excitement in his tone. He already knew what his next objective was: go get them.

Branagh seemed to know what he was thinking.

"You can get to that courtyard through the second floor...east side," the lieutenant wheezed, almost doubling over. Leon could only watch as Ellie cringed. He glanced at her, noting the trouble expression on her face. Quickly remembering how she had been here for days...and with Branagh...he had a feeling that Ellie would be heartbroken in the near future.

Leon grabbed his girlfriend's hand once more, squeezing it. Ellie repeated the action, looking up to him. She gave him a small nod, letting him know that she was okay. Leon nodded back, before turning to Branagh.

"Thanks, Lieutenant."

* * *

**A/N:** I have a personal headcanon that Leon doesn't like puzzles.


End file.
